The Chronicles of the RLS Legacy
by TheSoulMustStandAjar
Summary: It was just supposed to be a simple expedition; an experiment, an exploratory journey through the galaxy on a brand-new, top-of-the-line vessel: The R.L.S. Legacy, captained by the esteemed Amelia Porter and harboring the best crew in the galaxy, exploring more than ever previously believed to be possible. But it became so much more than all that... (Non/Disney characters.)


Jim Hawkins rolled his eyes as he took a drag from his cigarette, then looked around the space port to try and occupy his anxious mind with the strange sights all around. He sighed and a thick huff of smoke fled from his lips. Tobacco wasn't commonly used any more; only on poor planets, like Montressor, which was where Jim happened to be from. Pretty much everyone else used high-tech electronic cigarettes. Jim didn't really feel like he was missing out, though.

The year was 3338, and Jim was preparing to be dragged along by his older brothers and an old family friend, Dr. Delbert Doppler, on some voyage throughout the galaxy. From Montressor they would sail through space aboard a new ship called _The Legacy _, which was apparently supposed to be incredibly big and accommodating. All four of them were being paid quite handsomely, so Jim just kind of assumed the ship they were going to work on would be pretty fancy. The little kid in him would have been excited right now, thinking he was about to go on some super exciting pirate adventure. But no, the purpose of this particular ship was simple exploration, but apparently this ship could explore every possible terrain. Well, except land. Then it wouldn't be a ship. But, apparently, this ship could travel on the water, under water, _and _through space. Jim wasn't really sure if he believed that, but he supposed he would just have to wait and see.

Jim wasn't even supposed to go on this journey. Delbert had been offered the job, and asked to invite anyone along who might be useful. That basically entailed Jim's older brothers, Adam and Tarzan. As far as their Aunt Sarah- who'd raised them since their parents were killed in a shipwreck- was concerned, Jim was too young to go. Besides, she needed help working the Inn that she owned and that they all lived in. But, then Jim got kicked out of school for fighting, and his solar-surfing became a really big problem. He was one violation of his probation away from being sent to juvenile hall. So, Delbert volunteered to take Jim along as well, convincing Sarah that the expedition would be good for Jim. She begrudgingly agreed.

Jim would be lying if he said he didn't want to go. As a kid, he'd always dreamed of doing something like this, of going on an adventure. He was just a bit nervous, and didn't want to seem like such a novice. Both of his brothers had traveled quite a bit before; They were seasoned explorers. Even Delbert had been on an expedition before, for something scientific that Jim couldn't bring himself to remember or care about. Jim didn't want to give himself away by doing anything wrong; the last thing he wanted was to get on a ship with a bunch of strangers and still end up being labeled the screw-up. And now, with both his brothers around, it was going to be hard to keep from being compared to them all the time.

Tarzan was way more interesting than him, for sure. Tarzan wasn't his real name, obviously. His real name was William Terrence Hawkins. Tarzan was a nickname he picked up on a visit to Earth when he traversed Africa and showed off to the natives his unique ability to travel through the trees and fit in with the animals. Plus, it sounded a lot better than Terrence. On top of being fit, athletic, acrobatic, strong and tough, Tarzan was just a really cool guy. Patient and sweet-tempered and caring, protective of those he loved and brave enough to do anything to defend them, he was the ideal big brother. On top of being a nice guy, he was really funny, great at impressions, and basically fit in any where you put him. The guy could be friends with anyone. He was tall and lean and imposing, but overall a sweetheart. And he was wild-looking, definitely a man of nature. Tanned skin and intense, stormy eyes were just some of his powerful features, but normally the first thing anyone noticed about him was his hair; He had long, thick, dark brown dreadlocks. Tarzan was 29 years old, too. Still in his prime. He was the ideal sailor; Good at taking orders, but also mindful of when to go on his own course.

Jim was nothing like that.

Then there was 25-year-old Adam. He was a lot like Tarzan in a few ways; He was also a very imposing presence, tall and strong and handsome, with the same stormy eyes and long auburn hair that was usually tamed in a pony tail. (Jim and Tarzan both had darker hair, like their father's, while Adam inherited their mother's hair color.) And, like Tarzan, he was brave and fiercely protective of his loved ones. He could definitely fight if he needed to. But, the thing was that Adam tended to start a lot of fights. Unlike Tarzan, Adam was rude, arrogant, stubborn, insensitive, and, at times, a bit conceited and selfish. He was moody and kept to himself a lot. He liked to be alone. But, when he didn't like something, he was very quick to let everyone know about it. When Adam had a problem, it became _everyone's _problem. And, while Tarzan was imposing, Adam was actually threatening. He was the tallest of the three brothers- he always tended to be the tallest person in any room- standing at six feet and two inches. Tarzan was only five feet and eleven inches tall. Adam was also the strongest of the three, and tended to use his height and strength to his advantage to frighten people. Yes, Adam could be a bit of a bully when he wanted to. He liked scaring people with his beastly behavior; He liked having that power over people. He was the ideal soldier, someone to scare people away from tampering with the ship.

Jim was also nothing like that.

Yeah, the kids at school had always considered Jim to be scary or whatever, assuming that he was just like his brothers. But since Jim found himself comparing the three of them, he knew he was nothing like them. His brothers made him feel short and weak. He was 5'7, which he supposed was actually average height for his age- 17- and weighed about 120 pounds, which was mostly muscle, but still nothing compared to the two specimens he grew up against. And while his brothers actually had reasons for being so tough, and they were both all grown up and manly, Jim just felt like he was some dumb little punk. But now he had a chance to prove himself; to be a worthy comparison against his brothers. He was planning to make the effort on this trip, and give his aunt back home and his dead parents a reason to be proud of him.

Adam groaned angrily, rolling his eyes. His lean, strong arms were crossed over his toned chest and his thick eyebrows drew together in a childish pout. 'Where the hell is Doppler? We're gonna be late for our ship!"

Tarzan chuckled at his brother's impatience. "Calm down, Adam. Delbert helped finance this expedition, remember? He's not going to make us late."

It was then that Delbert Doppler finally emerged from a tiny travel pod that had just arrived, wearing a ridiculous metal space suit that was definitely out of commission and carrying a large pack on his back. "Hello, boys!" Delbert called in his usual frantic tone, stumbling over to them. He sighed and pulled off his helmet- which looked like a fish bowl- giving his floppy ears room to wiggle around comically. He smiled around at the three brothers, the sunlight gleaming off his glasses. "Are we ready?"

Adam rolled his eyes again and grumbled, "It's about time", leading them toward where _The Legacy _was supposed to be waiting for them. Tarzan chuckled as he walked beside Jim. Delbert clunked along behind them clumsily, struggling to move quickly in the junky old space suit. Tarzan smirked and clapped a hand on Jim's shoulder.

"You ready for this, Jimmy?" His oldest brother asked in his usual low, calming tone.

Jim gave him a small smile in return. "As ready as I'll ever be." He hoped Tarzan couldn't sense how fast his heart was beating.

Tarzan chuckled and turned away. "It's gonna be great, Jim. Mom and dad would be really proud..."

Jim looked down at his shoes. He hadn't really known his parents. He was a baby when they died. And while Adam and Tarzan had both been hit really hard by their deaths as children, Jim still envied both of them for having actually known their parents, for having experiences and loving memories of who they really were. All Jim had were pictures and stories from everyone else who got to know them.

"Whoa..." Adam breathed up ahead, coming to a stop. The other three gathered around him and gaped up in awe at what they would be traveling in for the next year. Jim's cigarette fell out of his open mouth.

_The Legacy _was rumored to be the largest ship ever made, and now they knew that people really weren't kidding. The massive vessel towered over them, but it's design wasn't bulky or heavy. It was elegant and regal in design, sleek and bright, but definitely fit for battle, if necessary. And, unlike any exploratory ships before it, this one could carry a crew of up to 100 _and _ all their luggage and an extensive amount of cargo. This ship would also be carrying a lot of trade. Although there were plenty of parties financing the expedition, seeing the ship let Jim know that they'd be needing all the money they could get. After all, they weren't pirates looking for treasure. As they drew closer to the hovering naval vessel, Jim spotted a large, dark, spindly, foreboding mass attached to the bottom of the ship. That must have been why it was so big; to carry this thing. Jim squinted his eyes to try to examine the thing further, but Delbert was rushing him along and a glimpse was all he could get. If Jim had to guess, that was probably a submarine.

As they were about to board, Jim said, "You guys go ahead. I have to wait for Peter."

Adam scoffed. "We might as well leave without him. You know he's gonna be late!"

Peter Pan was Jim's best friend, and had been as long as Jim could remember. Peter was the most mischievous, devious, immature kid around, always pulling pranks and getting into trouble; but always managing to get out of it. He wasn't violent, like Jim, but his track record was still just as bad.

"Yeah, Jim... Are you sure bringing him along is such a good idea?" Tarzan asked.

"Guys, chill out. Tink'll make sure he gets here on time. Just sign us in." Jim said, rolling his eyes. He was referring to Tinkerbell, an alien sprite that Peter had picked up randomly one day. She'd just kind of clung to him ever since. He was the only person who understood her when she spoke; to everyone else her words sounded like squeaky nonsense. Apparently Peter being able to understand had something to do with "bonding" for her species, so Tink was really possessive of Peter. It only made for more trouble for Peter, especially since Tink did have quite a little temper. But she could also be a good influence on Peter; somehow, she was more stubborn than him. So Jim didn't doubt that she'd be able to force him to be on time.

Adam gave Tarzan an incredulous look. Tarzan just shrugged and headed inside. Adam shook his head as he followed. Delbert gave Jim a fretful look before heading in noisily himself. Jim smirked and turned to look over the port, ignoring the other people who were boarding. A few people tried to smile or wave at him, but he acted like he didn't notice. Jim wasn't much of a people person; people gave him anxiety.

"Hey, Hawkins!" A cheerful voice called as it was coming up the ramp. Jim grinned at Peter as he approached with a duffel bag slung over his shoulder. The bag only looked half-full. After all, Peter didn't have many belongings to his name. Hovering above his head was a spot of pure light, gentle specks of golden dust drifting off the tiny form of Tinkerbell, who was chattering excitedly in gibberish while Peter ignored her and gave Jim his usual impish grin. Peter pulled off his hat and shook some of Tink's dust- "fairy dust", as they so fondly called it- out of it, then whipped his shaggy red hair around to rid himself of it. Tink whined at this. She was always covering Peter with the stuff, and it always bothered her when he cleaned it off. They'd always figured it was just another bonding thing, since Tink's explanations never made sense, even to Peter. Peter placed his hat back on his head and tipped it toward Jim with a devilish smirk. "Hope you weren't waiting on me."

Jim chuckled and rolled his eyes. "Just come on, Peter. Before Adam comes looking for you." He turned and headed in, knowing that Peter would follow. Peter would never admit it, but Adam scared the hell out of him.

As they walked in, Jim heard Peter gasp behind him. Tink let out a tiny squeal of delight. Jim tried to remain casual, but he was just as shocked as they were. This ship was even bigger on the _inside. _Jim spotted a map hanging on the wall nearby, kind of like the maps you might see in a shopping center to help direct people.

_That's how big this thing is... _Jim thought in awe as he looked around. _It has different levels. _With just a glance at the map, Jim could see that the ship had three levels, not including the sub clinging to the bottom. Looking around at this floor alone, Jim couldn't wait to see how the other two compared. He was really excited to see the deck. He could only imagine what it would look like when they launched. The excited chatter all around gave Jim a little confidence to show his own eagerness. He grinned at all the busy people buzzing around happily. Jim turned to Peter and laughed at his gaping expression.

"Come on, Pan. Let's go to the deck. I think Doppler and my brothers went up there." Jim smirked and led the way. Peter laughed as he followed. As they were heading up to the deck, they passed two brunette girls running toward each other and ecstatically embracing. Peter couldn't help but watch, it was such a spectacle. His attention was caught by one of the girls in particular; while the other one was human, this one was part feline, if he had to guess. Her ears were slightly pointed and perked up in excitement, and when she grinned you could see that her teeth were sharpened into fangs. She also wore a dress that was a bright and alarming shade of yellow. She was really quite a sight, but Peter supposed they would be seeing plenty of interesting aliens on the crew.

"Belle!" The alien cried happily with a chipper English accent as they hugged.

"Jane!" Belle giggled in return, revealing a light French accent. The two pulled apart and grinned at each other. Peter turned away and followed Jim.

"I'm so glad you could come! I was so worried you didn't get my message." Jane said excitedly. "It's been so long! How's your father?"

Belle laughed, a bit overwhelmed by Jane's exuberance. "Papa's doing well. He's working at home at the moment."

"Oh, that's too bad, father would have loved to see him today."

Belle sighed. "I know. Papa's just been very busy lately..."

"Well, of course. Inventing is quite the business. Well, they'll simply have to meet up at some point after the expedition."

"I'm sure papa would love that! Now, where is that crazy father of yours?"

Jane giggled. "He's up on the deck with Wendy and Amelia."

"Wendy's here, too?" Belle gasped.

Jane nodded and grinned, showing off her fangs. "Yes, she's finally old enough for exploration! She's grown so much since last you saw her."

"Well, take me to her! I have to see for myself!"

"Right!" Jane giggled and took Belle by the hand, leading her up to the deck. As they approached, they saw Captain Amelia teasing another alien, who seemed to be a dog, over his ridiculous-looking space suit while four boys and a sprite giggled behind the indignant man. Jane put on a mock expression of disapproval as they drew closer. "Must you always show off, Amelia?"

The older woman, whose feline features were much more prominent than Jane's, turned to see Jane's stern expression give away to a smirk. Amelia chuckled haughtily. "Only if you're involved, little sister." Then Amelia spotted Belle and grinned. "Ah, Belle! So glad you could make it!"

"I am, too. Believe me." Belle replied, her hazel eyes shining. Then she spotted Jane and Amelia's human father, Archimedes Q. Porter, standing by with his usual friendly smile, and rushed over to hug him. The two shared a laugh as Belle pulled back to smile down at the old man. "Thank you so much for inviting me along. I hope it's not costing you much..."

"Sweetheart, I'm financing this expedition, I can do whatever I want." Archimedes said with a laugh. "Besides, it was a great coincidence that Montressor just happened to be our last stop, as well as the home of a substantial amount of our crew. Don't you think?"

Belle giggled in response. "Yes, I suppose so. Now, where's Wendy?"

Archimedes grinned and pointed toward where a young girl in cutesy blue dress and a matching bow in her curly brown hair looking over the side of the ship in amazement. Belle smiled and snuck up beside the girl, then cleared her throat. Wendy turned to her expectantly, her cat-like eyes shimmering. It took her a second to recognize Belle, since it had been so long. Then, her eyes lit up and her slightly pointed ears twitched excitedly. "Belle!" She threw her slim arms around Belle's neck and Belle laughed as she wrapped the younger girl up in a hug. As they pulled away, Belle grinned down at her and asked, "Are you excited?"

"Oh, yes!" Wendy cried, daintily clapping her hands.

Belle laughed. "Come, let's see what the others are talking about." She took Wendy by the hand and led her to where Amelia was introducing Archimedes to the dog-man.

"Father, this is Dr. Delbert Doppler, another financier of this voyage. Dr. Doppler, meet my dear pop, Archimedes Q. Porter." Amelia spoke proudly as the two men shook hands.

"Pleasure meeting you, Dr. Doppler." Archimedes said in a friendly tone, his eyes twinkling slightly.

"And you too, Professor. I'm a big fan." Delbert said humbly.

Archimedes turned to Amelia. "And when will we be seeing Mr. Whitmore, my dear?"

"Oh, I'm afraid he couldn't make it today. We won't be meeting in person till we get back, but we will be communicating regularly over the holophone." Amelia replied. "His associates will be joining us shortly, though. And..." She pulled out a pocket watch and frowned at the time. "Knowing Mr. Merlin, he will be arriving late."

"So there are a few of us financing this trip? No wonder it was so cheap." Doppler mused, then forced a chuckle at his own joke.

Everyone just kind of stared at him. The boys in his company all rolled their eyes or groaned in embarrassment. Amelia smirked and remarked, "Yes... Quite. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to deal with some other matters. If you need anything, Mr. Arrow is right over there." She pointed toward a tall bulky man in regal uniform who seemed to be made of stone. Then she walked away quite purposefully, her eyes narrowing on a new group. "I was not told that there would be a slobbering mutt among your company, Mr. Sinbad."

"What, Spike?" The handsome Greek man asked mildly, patting the top of the dog's head. "He's harmless."

"I don't care. He's not allowed on my ship." Amelia said plainly.

"Well, no Spike, no me. And without me, you're missing a pretty big chunk of finances, aren't you?" Sinbad asked with a smirk.

Amelia hissed. "Your ill-gotten finances! I shouldn't have even allowed you on this ship. Do _not _make me regret that decision any further." Amelia turned and stormed off with her head held high.

Sinbad rolled his eyes while his wife, Marina, placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. Sinbad gave Spike another pat on the head.

"Uh, Sinbad? Maybe pissing off the Captain is a bad idea." Kale said with a smirk.

Sinbad scoffed. "Right. Hey, Rat! Check out those sails, huh?"

"Aye, sir!" Rat was already scaling the mast.

"What was Puss in Boots' problem?" A new, naturally sarcastic voice asked.

Sinbad turned to grin at his younger sister, Meg, and wrapped a strong arm around her shoulders. "Ah, forget about that, sis. Just stay on Amelia's good side and we'll be good to go."

"So...keep my mouth shut?" Meg smirked.

Sinbad shrugged. "If you have to." He gave her a quick wink. "Now. Take Spike for a walk around the deck, will ya'?"

"Sure." Meg droned unenthusiastically as she led the dog away.

She got halfway across the deck when an unfamiliar and energetic voice called, "Hey! Cool dog!" Meg looked up to see a young red-headed boy jogging up to her with a sparkly bug flitting around his weird hat. Meg raised an eyebrow. "Thanks..."

"Can I pet him? Is he friendly?" The boy asked even though he was already letting Spike lick his hand.

Meg wrinkled her nose. "Sure... If you don't mind drool."

The kid laughed as the dog jumped up on him. "He's so cute. What's his name?"

"Spike." Meg said indifferently.

"Cool..." The boy scratched Spike behind the ears. He looked up at Meg. "I'm Peter, by the way. And this is Tink." He gestured toward the bug, which Meg realized upon closer inspection was actually a little sprite. "What's your name?"

"Megara. But everyone calls me Meg."

"Cool. Do you know anyone here?"

She jerked a thumb over her shoulder. "Just my dumb brother and his crew."

"Ah, okay. Well, do you want to meet my friends?"

Meg really didn't want to, but she figured there was no use avoiding it. She would be working with these people, after all. "Sure. Why not."

"Cool." Peter started leading her toward his group. Before reaching them, Meg spotted two other cat creatures and a flighty dog species. Spike was immediately interested in him, but Meg managed to keep him from barreling toward the man.

"Hey, guys." Peter greeted the others as they drew closer. He gestured toward Meg and Spike. "This us Meg and her dog, Spike. Meg, these are..." He gestured to each person in turn, "Dr. Doppler, Tarzan, Adam, Jim, Belle, Wendy, Jane and Archimedes."

Meg saluted lazily. "Hey, there."

"It's very nice to meet you, dear." Archimedes said in his unarming tone. "Are you here by yourself, or...?"

"I'm here with my brother." Meg replied flatly, already knowing what was about to happen.

"Oh? Who might that be?" The old man asked, looking around.

"Sinbad."

Archimedes blanched at this. The others also looked taken aback. Archimedes stuttered, "S - Sinbad?"

Meg smirked. "I see our reputation precedes us. Don't worry, no piracy this time around. We're just here for honest exploring, like the rest of you."

Jane lifted an eyebrow, obviously not convinced. "Really?"

Meg rolled her eyes. "Yeah. We gave up pirating when we lost our ship."

"How did you lose it?" Jim asked innocently.

Meg suddenly didn't feel like talking to these people any more. "Not important. Excuse me." She abruptly turned and walked away, dragging Spike with her.

"Well... Quite an interesting crew we've got here." Tarzan said with a quiet chuckle. Adam grunted in agreement, looking around sternly at the deck. Tarzan looked up at him for a moment with a blank expression to guard his concern. "Adam? Can I talk to you for a second?"

Adam frowned as he followed Tarzan toward the side of the ship. He watched as Tarzan looked around to make sure no one would hear. Adam had a sneaking suspicion of what this was about and felt irritation creep into his tone. "What is it?"

Tarzan sighed. "Are you sure this trip won't be an...issue for you?"

Adam narrowed his eyes at his older brother and growled, "What?"

Tarzan shrugged. "Well, Adam, we're going to be surrounded by complete strangers this time, you know? This isn't our usual crew, these are brand-new people. We don't know how well you'll get along with them, or what reactions they might bring out of you. I just want to be sure that you'll be able to control it, okay? So tell me right now, is there any slight doubt in your head?"

"What? No!"

"Because if there is, there would be no shame in heading back home right now. Sarah could probably use some help with the Inn, and me and Delbert and Jim could cover for you..."

"No! I'm going on this trip!" Adam realized how his voice was building in volume and quickly caught himself, glancing around at the few people who were looking at him now. He glared down at Tarzan and hissed, "I can control it, okay?"

Tarzan raised an eyebrow. "So there won't be any incidents?"

Adam rolled his eyes. "_No._"

Tarzan stared up at his younger brother for a moment, and Adam began to grow more annoyed. Did Tarzan really not trust him? Finally, Tarzan nodded and muttered, "Alright... Just control that temper of yours. Okay?"

Adam scoffed.

Tarzan looked him in the eye and deadpanned, "I'm serious."

Adam rolled his eyes. "Yeah, okay."

"Good. Now let's join the others before they start to get suspicious."

As they were approaching the group, they saw that a new group had just joined them as well. At the lead was a scrawny young man with awkwardly cut auburn hair and round glasses that continued to slip down his narrow nose, no matter how many times he shoved them up to his eyes with his bony forefinger. He was chattering excitedly with Archimedes while his friends stood by and either looked bored or amused by their flighty friend. There was an older woman smoking a cigarette and looking completely indifferent as she had her own conversation with another old woman over an older model holophone. Next to her was a young Hispanic girl. _Really _young. She couldn't have been more than fifteen years old. She wore overalls and heavy black boots; a mechanic's attire. And she was watching the red headed boy talking to Archimedes with a twinkle of amusement in her brown eyes. She leaned over to Jim and murmured something to him that made him smirk. Nearby, a lean Italian man was in an argument with a tall dark-skinned man, who seemed upset about the Italian tampering with some explosives. Another woman with skin even darker than the irate man was standing by, rolling her eyes with her arms crossed. A short, round and dirty - looking man was giggling incessantly at his companions and muttering in French. Tarzan and Adam shared a short look before Tarzan cleared his throat, drawing everyone's attention to their arrival.

"Ah! There you two are!" Archimedes remarked cheerily. He gestured toward the thin red-head at his side. "This is Milo Thatch and his crew, the representatives of Mr. James Whitmore. Milo's a historian, archeologist, and a linguist! Isn't that impressive?"

Milo blushed bright red. "Thank you, sir..."

"It's nice to meet you, Milo." Tarzan said in his usual friendly tone. Then he looked at the others in Milo's company. "And you all are...?"

"Name's Sweet. Joshua Sweet. I'll be the ship's doctor." The tall black man said with a wide grin. He gestured toward the dark woman at his side. Her smile was bright and dazzling in contrast with her rich skin tone. "This is my wife, Tiana."

"Hey, there." Tiana greeted warmly, a pleasant New Orleans' drawl in her lovely voice. "I'm gonna be the chef for ya'll. That is, if Cookie doesn't destroy the kitchen before I get to it..."

"Cookie?" Adam asked with a confused expression.

Sweet chuckled and rolled his eyes. "You'll meet him eventually."

"He's an idiot." The older woman with the cigarette briefly interrupted her conversation on the holophone to answer in a bored, rough tone. Then she continued to ignore them all.

"Don't mind Packard. She's a little rough around the edges, but you'll get used to it." The young Hispanic girl in the overalls said with a smirk. She waved at them. "I'm Audrey, by the way. I'm the mechanic."

Tarzan and Adam both had wide, disbelieving eyes.

She rolled her eyes at their expressions. "I'm not too young, okay? Jeez, how long have I been in this profession and everyone still doubts me...?" She muttered to herself and turned away. As she crossed her arms in irritation, she caught Jim smirking at her and felt tiny little butterflies in her stomach.

"I'm Vinny. I do explosives." The Italian man who was previously arguing with Sweet continued the introductions.

Sweet and his wife both rolled their eyes. Sweet admonished Vinny, "That's pretty much _all _you do, fool! _Especially _at the times when you _really _shouldn't." Tiana chuckled and lightly patted her husband's arm, making him smile down at her.

"And, um..." Tarzan gestured awkwardly toward the rotund Frenchman who was continually rolling around on the floor. "Who's that?"

"We call him Mole." Tiana supplied the answer with a displeased look on her face. When Tarzan and Adam both raised an eyebrow in questioning expressions, Vinny flatly added, "He likes to dig."

Adam continued to look disturbed while Tarzan simply nodded in understanding, as if that explained everything. "Right..."

"Is there...more of a story there? Or...?" Adam frowned.

Sweet held up a hand and sighed. "You don't wanna know."

"But-" Adam tried to argue.

"No. No, no. Trust me." Sweet said gravely. "You don't wanna know."

"Okay, then..." Tarzan said, smirking up at the befuddled Adam. Then Tarzan edged his way over to Jim and whispered, "Well? What do you think?"

Jim chuckled and muttered. "Yeah... The crew's pretty interesting."

Meanwhile, Amelia was preparing to hurl them all out of the atmosphere. She stood by the wheel with Mr. Arrow while one of their best sailors, Eric, was steering and preparing for take-off. She spotted Dr. Delbert approaching and rolled her eyes. She could tell that he was going to be a problem for her. She looked regally over the deck, smiling lightly at the swarms of people. Then she turned to two of her best officers. "Phoebus! Smith!" She called.

Two tall men with shaggy blonde hair, one with a scruffy stubble and one clean-shaven, both decorated war heroes in valiant armor, turned to look obediently up at her. Phoebus wore ornately designed golden armor while John Smith's armor was, plain and simple (slightly worn out), silver.

"Yes, Captain?" John called back heartily.

"Have Merlin and his company arrived?" She asked.

Phoebus pointed toward where an older man with a long white beard, a floor-reaching blue trench coat, a silly hat, and a rather large brown owl sitting on his shoulder, was conversing with Archimedes while three young boys stood behind him shyly or looked around in awe. "They've just arrived, Ma'am!"

"Excellent! And what of the others?" She asked with a feral grin.

"Not sure, Captain. I'll check to see if everyone's signed in." John nodded dutifully and walked briskly away. Amelia nodded to herself with a smirk, pleased with her choice in crew. John momentarily came back and called, "All are present and accounted for, Captain Amelia."

"Brilliant!" Her feline eyes lit up and she cast her anticipating gaze skyward while Mr. Arrow smirked at her. She grinned and said, "Let's let the crew know to brace themselves, gentlemen! Tell everyone to prepare for launch!"


End file.
